In this paper Michael Poulin looks at understanding Service Contract in a Service-Orientated (SO) Ecosystem.

Every one of us likes to be served, especially if we receive a good service. All businesses are created by people who have brought service into play as the fundamental element of any organization. An enterprise is not an exception – inside the enterprise we also service each other every day even though the servicing may be masqueraded by processes and procedures.

A consumer is interested in only two things about the service: if the service has certain capabilities, and if the results of these capability executions suits the needs of the consumer. Every consumer may become a service provider at the same time.

When a consumer interacts with a service, there are usually different systems of rules that are applied to an interaction. These rules are highly cultural and contextual; they include physical, informational and even legal aspects.

In this white paper, Michael Poulin observes how using the OASIS standards can formalize a procedure of contracting services within and external to an enterprise, from both a business and technological perspective.